Brutal death
by Zoey Seraphine Bates
Summary: When death strikes somebody very close to Brennan, she has to keep herself and who she loves together, while also solving a murder, something easier said than done.


Disclaimer: Not mine. But for god's sake why do I have to disclaim it? Hart Hanson could share.

Warning! Character death.

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"Hey Bones! I've got a body for ya. Right over here boys." The FBI team put the body on the examination table, then left the lab, leaving Booth standing on the platform. "Local kids in Crofton found the body outside the skating rink," he glanced at his notes. "The rink's name is 'Skate Zone'."

Brennan started examining the skeletal remains. "Male. Age 6-10. Approximately four foot, two inches tall."

Booth told her that he'd wait in her office while she examined the remains. The fact that the victim was so young bothered him. He didn't want to stay on the platform and have to look at the young boy's remains. He went into her office and laid down on her couch. He stared out the small window by her desk. It was dusk in the middle of winter in Washington D.C. He fell asleep soon, because he remembered Brennan coming into her office around midnight and waking him up. He yawned loudly.

"Did I wake you Booth?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. What time is it?"

"It's around midnight."

"Thanks for waking me. You need to go home."

"Booth, I'm trying to catch a murderer."

"And you need sleep to do your job effectively."

"I want to stay here and work. I'm not tired."

"Bones, if you won't walk out of here like a normal person, I will pick you up and carry you out of here."

She sighed "Fine."

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He dropped her off at her apartment, and she quickly started getting ready for bed. She had her pajamas on and was laying in bed, staring at the wall because she couldn't sleep. Her cell phone was on her nightstand, and she heard it chime signaling she got a text message. She looked at her phone to find that Booth had sent her a text message saying "I can't sleep, so I'm texting you. If this woke you up, sorry, and go back to sleep."

She replied, "Don't worry, I can't sleep either."

In a few minutes, he replied, "If you want, I could come over with Thai."

She quickly replied "I already ate."

"Really? I'm proud of you Bones." Came his reply.

"Angela made me stop working to eat sushi around 6."

"Oh. I could still come over…you know, to keep you company."

"Sounds fine by me."

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Meanwhile, Hodgins and Angela were laying in bed together. They hadn't officially gotten back together, but Angela had shown up at his house after work knowing that neither of them would sleep. They were laying on Hodgins' bed together. She was in his arms, and he was holding her tightly. Hodgins knew they would be like this all night, because neither of them was going to sleep.

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Brennan heard a knock on her door, and quickly answered. She let Booth in, and locked the door behind him. They sat down together on her couch. They sat together a few minutes in silence.

"Why can't you sleep Bones?"

"I don't know. I've got a feeling, as stupid as it is, that something is wrong."

"A gut feeling."

She sighed. "Yes, I guess you would call it that."

"Okay." They went back to silence, and Booth turned her stereo on after a few minutes. Booth told her she needed to get some sleep, so she laid down on the couch and rested her head in Booth's lap. He ran a hand over her hair, and pretty soon she was asleep. He used the remote to turn the stereo off, and he fell asleep shortly after. They woke up to the sound of Booth's cell phone ringing around 10 a.m. "Booth," he answered sleepily.

"What's wrong Rebecca?"

"When's the last time you saw him?" Worry was evident in Booth's voice.

"Meet Bones and I at the lab in half an hour." He hung up the phone and headed for the door. "Come on Bones." He had never used that tone of voice with her before. It was harsher than he'd ever spoken to her.

As they were running out to his SUV, she tried to figure out what was wrong without pushing or prying. "Booth, what's wrong?"

"Parker's missing."

"How long?"

"I don't know Bones! All I know is that he's missing!" He nearly screamed at her. She didn't say anything, but she touched his arm. She didn't move her hand, and after five minutes, he said "I'm so sorry Bones, I'm just worried."

"It's okay." She whispered. He glanced over and saw tears in her eyes, and she quickly looked away and out the SUV's window.

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A few weeks past without event, or any news on Parker. They hadn't found another body or any real clues to the murder.

Booth heard his cell phone ringing while he was in bed on Sunday morning. He answered, "Booth."

"A body has been found. Get your squint. It's a child."

"Okay Cullen." He closed the phone and went to pick up Bones. He liked surprising her.

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In half an hour he was standing at her door with coffee and doughnuts. He knocked loudly on the door. She answered in two minutes. "Booth, what do you want?"

"I see we're in a good mood this morning." He gave her a charm smile that melted her heart. "We've got a body, and I brought you coffee and doughnuts."

"Thanks. Let me go get ready."

In 15 minutes they were in Booth's SUV driving to the crime scene.

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When they arrived, Brennan looked at the skull, and gasped. She quickly told a forensic tech what she wanted, and to send the bones to the Jeffersonian. She had recognized the features on the skull. She knew who the victim was.


End file.
